Hedgehogs, Capes, and Claw Marks: 5 Iconic F1 Movie and Gaming Liveries

1993: Williams with Sega

We are starting off this list with a rather unique collaboration that lasted longer than just a single race. In 1993, the gaming giant Sega became the major sponsor of Williams for the year, as well as the title sponsor of that season’s European Grand Prix. This led to some interesting promotional materials, including grid girls wearing Sonic the Hedgehog outfits (termed ‘Soniquettes’), a Sonic-shaped trophy for the race, and several ads and pieces of merchandise featuring the Williams drivers Alain Prost and Damon Hill.

Yet one of the most memorable things to come out of this partnership was a custom livery on the Williams car. Painted primarily blue and yellow, the design features a ‘cut out window’ on the side pods, with Sonic’s legs painted just underneath the drivers’, making it look as if the speedy hedgehog himself might be driving. And with Williams winning that year’s Constructors’ Championship, who’s to say that he didn’t have a hand (or foot) in helping them.

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2004, Monaco: Jaguar with Ocean’s Twelve

Jaguar partnered with Warner Brothers at the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix to promote the upcoming Ocean’s Twelve film with a custom livery that became famous not for its colors or design, but for a very specific component and the mysterious circumstances surrounding it.

The look of the car was inspired by the casinos around which the Ocean’s Eleven franchise takes place in, with playing card reds and poker table felt greens. But the centerpieces of the livery were the two $300,000 diamonds, one each on the nose tip of Mark Webber and Christian Klien's cars. This was a nod to the upcoming film’s plot about stealing jewelry.

This plot, unfortunately, came a bit too close to reality when Klien–still a rookie at the time–crashed his car nose-first on the opening lap of the race. The diamond dislodged and was never recovered. Theories of it being stolen by a passerby or falling into the water ran wild at the time, but what truly happened remains a mystery to this day. 

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2006, Monaco: Red Bull with Superman Returns

In 2005, Red Bull had acquired Jaguar (despite the disappearing diamond dilemma) and by 2006 they were pulling up to the Monaco Grand Prix with another blockbuster-inspired custom livery. The team paired up with Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment to celebrate the release of Superman Returns with Superman imagery, custom outfits for the drivers, and a livery based on the Man of Steel himself.

Much like the Williams/Sega collaboration, this custom paint job used clever placement of the design around the driver to make it look as though David Coulthard and Christian Klien were wearing Superman’s outfit, with a cape flowing behind them. The vision came to life as Coulthard won Red Bull their first podium that weekend with a third place finish, and actually wore a red cape during the podium ceremony. Team principal Christian Horner even celebrated the success by jumping into the pool by the circuit clad in nothing but a red cape himself.

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2024, Belgium: Alpine with Deadpool & Wolverine

The superhero theme made an epic return to the grid at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, when Alpine teamed up with Marvel Studios for a custom livery promoting the release of Deadpool & Wolverine. The black and red livery featured a claw mark design over the engine cover in line with the two main characters of the movie. The drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, also took part in the theme, with Ocon sporting a Deadpool-inspired helmet while Gasly wore a Wolverine-inspired one.

The film stars Ryan Reynolds, who also became an investor in Alpine earlier in 2023. He was joined in the endeavor by actor and screenwriter Rob McElhenney, with whom Reynolds co-owns the Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC. The two reportedly invested $218 million for a 24% stake in the F1 team. Interestingly, it has been reported that this is the portion of Alpine ownership that now ex-Red Bull leader Christian Horner is targeting.

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2024, Austin: Alpine with Indiana Jones

Alpine makes the list again with another iconic franchise tie-in livery from 2024, this time repping Indiana Jones at the United States Grand Prix. This was the result of a collaboration with one of the team’s partners, Xbox, to promote the release of the upcoming game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

The team rolled up to Austin with their cars decked out in sunset orange paint and their drivers wearing adventurer-themed suits inspired by the fictional archeologist himself. Some additional details on the car included images of a map with red lines indicating routes, akin to what is seen in the franchise’s other games and movies. The livery stood out as the second time that year that Alpine took a massive departure from the pink and blue theme they have so strongly built their team identity around, with the look receiving lots of positive feedback.

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All images via Alpine Media Website